Humans are creation of the nature. Just like the other creatures, we too are a mere part of it. Something that makes a difference is the ability of self realisation, imagination and memorisation in us.
Human beings are social species that rely on cooperation to survive and thrive. Interdependence on each other and living in a society is natural. But, being anthropocentric is unnatural and unjustified.
I was sitting in the library, surrounded by the many worlds of books, looking over a PPT (power point presentation) and listening to my mentor from a learning community created there… Nearly a 100 brains were functioning.
Of Society And Social Arrangements
During midday (October 1, 2021), we were tracing the trajectory of “Society, Social Arrangements and Education.” Ashutosh Upadhyay made us analyse each and every word he said.
Sitting in a small corner of the world, we analysed the internalisation of the human societies of the world.
In our textbooks, we got to know that sociology was also influenced by Darwin’s theory of evolution. “Society was often compared with living organisms and efforts were made to trace its growth through stages comparable to those of organic life.”
This session added a new definition of society to our minds. We explored what is scientifically referred to as society. A defining feature of human life is that humans interact, communicate and construct social collectivities. It’s our biological trait too.
Society Is Natural, But The Present Social System Isn’t
Society is natural. But, the present social system is unnatural. In the words of Ashutosh sir: “System is a manmade constraint. Society is natural.” Today, our society has tagged a bar code to every human. This is what is making us anthropocentric.
We are no longer fearful of what we do to nature, our fellow and ultimately, to ourselves. In short, we still don’t know where we came from, but we are panicking about where we have to go the next day.
According to a report published in The Guardian, “The world’s 7.6 billion people represent just 0.01% of all living things. Yet, since the dawn of civilisation, humanity has caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants.” Humans have begun to consider nature as their own property.
Humans Are Dangerous
We are a danger to the other creatures existing in nature. Something that was a “natural phenomenon” some times ago, is becoming a “social problem” now, caused by human ignorance and exploitativeness. But, it’s an alarm.
We are ignoring the fact that: “There is no free lunch.” Ultimately, we have to pay for our doings.
Ashutosh sir said, “The system of humans is standing on the pillars of injustice. Till the day these injustices prevail, society will be as it is today.” It seems so true in the context of nature too. We see that simpler societies were close to the nature.
Early humans beings were affectionate towards nature. They even considered it their god. Even in this vast, changing universe, the attributes that define our worth are simple: empathy and love. Not power or technology, which occupy so many of our thoughts, but are merely related to the age of a civilisation.
Relationships Need Love And Trust
As Ashutosh sir mentioned, “Love and bonding is necessary to maintain a relation. The relations built on the foundation of hostility will be the reason of our end, some day.”
Talking about education, he stressed, “Life and education are like parallel lines. We are unable to apply the education we get in our lives. The need is of education that connects us to the nature. The present education system is just a way of regimentation.”
I found it connected to what we read in our textbooks. The “Understanding Sociology” book of class 11th states:
“In complex societies, we saw there is an increasing economic division of labour, separation of work from home, need for specialised learning and skill attainment, rise of state systems, nations and complex sets of symbols and ideas. Education in such social context has to be formal and explicit. The educational system is important mechanism for the selection and allocation of individuals in their future roles in society.”
Individual Effort Matters
The dominant social section not only dominates political and economic institutions, but also ensures that the ruling class ideas become the ruling ideas of a society. This involves the redesigning of education system, too.
So, our education system manufactures humans as machines. Such a machine is the demand of the system.
Ashutosh sir also told us: “Society is spread all over the unjust system just like grass. To change the society, we have to start from changing the system.”
It seems so true for our unnatural, human societies. I believe that individual efforts matter a great deal. So, the call of an hour is to bring the change in us. If “I” will change then ultimately, “we” will change.